As I get PMed for this kind of info from time to time I thought it might be a good idea to put it up on the forum for people's future reference. The prices are in Euro and are what I consider typical for the city (prices can vary a lot here, so it's all very 'ballpark'). These are for Feb 2008.

RENT

The three prices here represent three different areas of the city. The first is a low-class area where most expats wouldn't want to live, the middle one is typical semi-central, and the third upmarket.

Generally, the food in the supermarkets is around the same as in the rest of the EU zone. Local markets are a little cheaper for fresh goods, but not considerably so. Most things you'd want can be found in Bucharest. There are lots of big supermarkets (Gima, Cora, Metro, Carrefour) on the outskirts normally and many smaller ones all over the city.

Thanks. Yes, in Nov 2006. It's only a two-room apartment but it's mine and I'm not stuck with a huge mortgage like I would be if I'd bought something back home. It's already gone up about 40'000 Euro in value...that's Romania for you.

If you buy a flat you don't need residence, but if you want to buy a place with land then you need to have a company and buy it in the company name. This rule, as far as I know, still also applies to EU citizens, although it will be phased out in a few years.

What Mike says about land ownership is basically correct. Foreigners can own buildings here, but not the land on which they are built. It is a senseles rule of course, a throwback to communism, but it's reality and what we have to work with.

In practice, the effect is that if you buy an apartment, you've nothing to worry about. However, if you wish to buy a house, you can own the house but not the land. Doesn't make much sense, does it, to own the house while someone else owns the land?

There is an easy solution, however, which is widely practised.

You incorporate a Romanian-registered company, which can be wholly owned by one person who may be a foreigner (i.e. yourself) and only needs a nominal share capital of 200 RON (around 54 euro) to be lodged in the bank. This company will be a Romanian person in the legal sense. You then buy the land and all buildings upon it in the company's name, and thus get around the problem very easily.